AMD Radeon RX 6800S vs AMD Radeon RX 7800M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the most head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800M wins 9 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests. The only test won by the AMD Radeon RX 6800S is PassMark DirectX 9, where it scores 200 versus 174.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the most demanding modern DirectX 12 test?

A: In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 7800M scores 2994 against 1689 for the RX 6800S, a 77.3% advantage. This is the largest single-test delta between the two cards.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for both GPUs?

A: The RX 7800M has an average benchmark score of 27883, while the RX 6800S averages 24063. The RX 7800M sits in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 69th percentile for the RX 6800S.

Q: How do the two cards compare in compute workloads?

A: In PassMark GPU Compute, the RX 7800M scores 9342 versus 6144 for the RX 6800S, a 52.1% lead. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7800M scores 120778 against 73202, a 65% lead.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. The RX 7800M is listed as Active, while the RX 6800S is marked End-of-life.

Q: What is the release date difference between the two?

A: The RX 6800S was released on January 3, 2022, while the RX 7800M launched on September 10, 2024. The RX 7800M is over two years newer.

Architecture Differences

The RX 7800M is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, while the RX 6800S uses RDNA 2.0. This architectural leap shows up directly in the transistor count and process technology. The RX 7800M uses a 5 nm process at TSMC and packs 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 81.2M per mm². The RX 6800S is fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm node with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, resulting in 46.7M per mm². The newer process allows the RX 7800M to nearly triple the transistor count while increasing die size by only about 46%.

The RX 7800M uses the Navi 32 chip with the codename Wheat Nas, part of the Navi Mobile (RX 7000M) generation. The RX 6800S uses Navi 23 from the Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) generation. The RX 7800M has 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, compared to 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs on the RX 6800S. Ray tracing hardware also differs: the RX 7800M carries 60 ray tracing cores, while the RX 6800S has 32.

Memory configuration is another clear architectural split. The RX 7800M comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800S has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with 256.0 GB/s. Clock behavior also differs. The RX 7800M has a base clock of 1295 MHz, a boost of 2335 MHz, and a game clock of 2145 MHz. The RX 6800S has a higher base clock at 1800 MHz, but a lower boost at 2100 MHz and a lower game clock at 1975 MHz. The memory clock on the RX 7800M runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the RX 6800S runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective).

The RX 7800M supports FP32 at 35.87 TFLOPS and FP16 at the same 35.87 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The RX 6800S delivers 8.602 TFLOPS FP32 and 17.20 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The RX 7800M uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface, while the RX 6800S uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Both are integrated into portable devices with display outputs described as Portable Device Dependent, and neither requires external power connectors. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 7800M dominates across nearly the entire test suite. The biggest win comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RX 7800M scores 2994 versus 1689 for the RX 6800S, a 77.3% lead. This is a massive gap in a modern DirectX 12 workload and indicates that the RX 7800M is in a different performance class for current-generation games.

Geekbench results follow the same pattern. In OpenCL, the RX 7800M scores 120778 against 73202, a 65% advantage. In Vulkan, the RX 7800M scores 126668 against 81272, a 55.9% lead. Compute performance shows a similar story: PassMark GPU Compute gives the RX 7800M 9342 versus 6144 for the RX 6800S, a 52.1% delta.

DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 tests both favor the RX 7800M. PassMark DirectX 11 shows 176 for the RX 7800M versus 139 for the RX 6800S, a 26.6% edge. PassMark DirectX 12 shows 89 versus 65, a 36.9% lead. The older DirectX 10 test is closer: 99 versus 91, a modest 8.8% advantage for the RX 7800M.

The PassMark G3D test, which reflects overall 3D graphics performance, gives the RX 7800M 17613 versus 15908 for the RX 6800S, a 10.7% lead. The PassMark G2D test shows 892 versus 732, a 21.9% advantage for the RX 7800M.

The single exception is PassMark DirectX 9. Here, the RX 6800S scores 200 while the RX 7800M scores 174, giving the RX 6800S a 13% win. This is an older API, and the RX 6800S appears to have an advantage in legacy DirectX 9 workloads, possibly due to its higher base clock and different driver optimization path.

Across all recorded tests, the RX 7800M wins 9 and the RX 6800S wins 1. The average benchmark score reflects this: 27883 for the RX 7800M versus 24063 for the RX 6800S. The RX 7800M's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (0.2% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (0.3% behind), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (0.5% behind), and AMD FirePro S7150 (0.8% behind). The RX 6800S sits near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (0.4% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.7% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 9070 (0.8% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (0.9% ahead). This places the RX 7800M in a higher performance tier than the RX 6800S by a clear margin.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 7800M is the stronger GPU by a significant margin in nearly every workload. It wins 9 of 10 benchmark comparisons, with leads ranging from 8.8% to 77.3%. Its average benchmark score of 27883 is 15.9% higher than the RX 6800S's 24063. The RX 7800M also sits at the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, versus the 69th percentile for the RX 6800S.

The architectural gap explains most of this. The RX 7800M uses a newer 5 nm process, nearly triple the transistor count, twice the shading units, and 50% more memory bandwidth. It also has 12 GB of VRAM versus 8 GB, which matters for modern games with large texture pools.

The RX 6800S is not without merit. It wins the DirectX 9 test by 13%, and its lower 100 W TDP compared to 180 W for the RX 7800M means it draws less power. However, for anyone choosing between these two for a portable gaming device, the RX 7800M is the pick for current-generation performance, especially in DirectX 12 and compute-heavy workloads. The RX 6800S is a legacy part, now End-of-life, and its only benchmark victory comes in an API that is increasingly rare in new games.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification. The RX 7800M uses the Navi 32 chip on RDNA 3.0, while the RX 6800S uses Navi 23 on RDNA 2.0. Process nodes differ: 5 nm for the RX 7800M versus 7 nm for the RX 6800S. Transistor counts are 28,100 million versus 11,060 million, and die sizes are 346 mm² versus 237 mm².

Shading units: 3840 versus 2048. TMUs: 240 versus 128. ROPs: 96 versus 64. Ray tracing cores: 60 versus 32. Memory: 12 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus versus 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. Bandwidth: 432.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s.

Clocks differ substantially. The RX 7800M has a base clock of 1295 MHz, boost of 2335 MHz, and game clock of 2145 MHz. The RX 6800S has a base of 1800 MHz, boost of 2100 MHz, and game clock of 1975 MHz. Memory clocks are 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the RX 7800M and 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for the RX 6800S.

Compute throughput: the RX 7800M delivers 35.87 TFLOPS FP32 and 35.87 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). The RX 6800S delivers 8.602 TFLOPS FP32 and 17.20 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). Pixel rate: 224.2 GPixel/s versus 134.4 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 560.4 GTexel/s versus 268.8 GTexel/s.

TDP: 180 W for the RX 7800M, 100 W for the RX 6800S. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RX 7800M, PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RX 6800S. Release dates: September 10, 2024 versus January 3, 2022. Production status: Active versus End-of-life.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7800M wins in all modern workloads. It leads in DirectX 12 by 36.9%, in DirectX 11 by 26.6%, and in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 by 77.3%. It also wins in Vulkan by 55.9%, OpenCL by 65%, and GPU Compute by 52.1%. For gaming with current APIs, ray tracing, or compute tasks like rendering and machine learning inference, the RX 7800M is the clear choice. Its 12 GB VRAM and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth also make it better suited for high-resolution textures and larger datasets.

The RX 6800S wins only in PassMark DirectX 9, scoring 200 versus 174, a 13% lead. This indicates it may be preferable for very old games or legacy applications that rely on DirectX 9 paths. Its lower 100 W TDP also makes it a more power-efficient option in a portable chassis, which could matter for battery life and thermal management in thin laptops.

The practical split: choose the RX 7800M for anything modern, from DirectX 11 and 12 games to Vulkan and compute workloads. Choose the RX 6800S only if the workload is strictly DirectX 9 and power draw is a primary concern. For every other scenario, the RX 7800M's benchmark record is decisive.